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Thursday, October 29, 2009

How 'bout This One Boys and Girls...

This story is true. I reluctantly changed the names to protect the knuckleheads involved.

One of the ambulances from my station was dispatched for an “unresponsive male, possible overdose. Police and family on scene.” The crew arrived and found a male in his 30s, obviously and irretrievably dead. The family members who had congregated were extremely upset and angry- presumably angry that their loved one had taken an overdose of heroin and angry that the crew would make no effort to revive him.

By all accounts it was a very ugly scene. Tragic certainly- but it soon would have been just another dead junkie call in a City filled with them except…

… Except for this especially creepy turn of events- Toni, one of the Medics on the call, lost a small purse on scene. The purse was one of those things that folds in the middle and has a pocket for change in the center. Almost looks like a super sized men’s wallet.

Toni’s purse contained her drivers’ license, bank and credit cards, about $100 in cash, several checks made out to her Avon business and a deposit slip. Now, this would have been a pain to lose anywhere, but especially so in a junkie’s house. A dead inner city junkie whose family hates you.

Now the story takes its creepy and horrible turn- Toni reports for duty the next day, finally realizes she has lost her purse and where she probably lost it.

I’m not sure what the proper course of action is in a situation like this. Really, I just don't know...

Toni picked up the phone and started calling the family members whose numbers she had collected the night before-

“Hi, sorry to bother you. This is Toni from City EMS, I need to ask you a very important question…”

Some amateur grief counseling followed and after 20 minutes and two more phone calls she located the purse (now holding $20 cash according to the young woman who had it)

Arrangements were made and the damn thing made its way back to the station.

First- I was there as the calls were made so I can testify this a true and accurate tale of Urban EMS Bloopers, Blunders and you know, whatever…

Second- it was a total idiot move. Learn a lesson from it and don’t be a dumbass.